genessia | [Action] Grief [Closed to Castlevania and Satori] cw:mild blood

Satori was kind of endearing like that. She does feel better now, actually, and to be given such a smile was part of that... besides simply having Satori be here with her.

"I'm not quite sure... It's rare that I grow so attached to a human. Perhaps keep myself busy...?" At her words, Remilia manages a smile. She then pulls her girlfriend into a hug, since... it's only the two of them there, so that contact should hopefully be easier for Satori.

Satori ends up getting pulled into the hug, despite herself. Normally, if this were Koishi, she'd protest-but-relax. If this were a stranger, she'd protest much more loudly. But this was important. Remilia meant the world to her, and she couldn't let her fears of being touched get in the way.

Besides, she initiated it.

"It's the same for me. Humans are...ephemeral and strange to me. But some humans, I don't mind. Sometimes, dealing with humans becomes a necessity." As she speaks, she leans into the hug and stays close to Remilia. Being this close to the Scarlet Devil herself, she found something amusing from this situation. Ted would probably call it 'two monsters licking eachother's wounds'.

"I understand your point, but I'm not really used to such attachments, aside from my sister. And you. But you've...learned that humans complicated creatures. I suppose you missed what you left behind when you became a vampire."

She doesn't pull away or anything, of course. Leaning in and moving her head to Remi's shoulder, she just seems to lean in and stay close.

"...I don't blame you for wanting companionship. In your own way, you must feel lonely. For me, such feelings are harder to push aside. But I'm glad to lend an ear to you. Whatever keeps you from growing as detached as I am."

"If it's not humans, it'd be the various aliens and sapient machines about... Some humans are so much easier to tolerate." Ted wouldn't be one of them. Only Satori is in her thoughts right now, as are any that could be harmful to her.

"I'm afraid I wasn't given a choice in becoming a vampire or not. I wouldn't change what I am today... despite how it happened." Her mind briefly goes back to her and Flandre's less than pleasant turning. Thoughts that are quickly chased away by Satori's presence, her closeness...

"Well... I suppose you're got that right." Sakuya was very dear to her, but human and wishes to stay that way. Patchy's her best friend, and Meiling is like a sister.

"That's true, at least. Even I've found myself opening up to people that I wouldn't consider to be...tolerable. Humans are troublesome, but they aren't all as terrible as I'd assume. Just most of them." She offers Remilia another little smile as she stays close to her. "Ted's infuriating, but while a confusing and sanctimonious mess, I find he's a good friend. Even at his most unreasonable."

"I find people deride having pride in yourself too much, though. To accept the trauma and sadness of your life and build from it is something that my kind can admire, humans or otherwise," She shakes her head, enjoying the feeling of being together with Remi. It was oddly calming to her in a way that didn't feel the same as her sister or pets. Perhaps the vampire had warmed her cold heart, but she'd never admit it in public. But here and now? "Despite the troubles of your past and your losses, I feel you've grown stronger because of it. But I merely hardened my heart, when adversity came knocking. I'm glad I can candidly tell you that it's a refreshing change to be so honest and to witness so much honesty..."

"I suppose I wouldn't change a thing about my own circumstances, either. If not for Koishi's...change, she wouldn't have drawn so many strange people to my doorstep over the years. And Koishi's much more outgoing than me, but her simplicity makes it easier to accept and acknowledge people. Oddly enough, the girl looks out for me as much as I do for her. I wouldn't have it any other way."

Satori feels those fond memories and connections Remi's made over the years as her mind-reading filters her surface thoughts. That feeling of being important to her was addictive, that feeling of love and appreciation. The feeling of being placed alongside those people made her feel something she hadn't felt in years. "You're an equal to me, in my mind. I doubt anything will really change that anytime soon. I've seen the place for me in your thoughts, all this time, and I hope that I should stay there."

What's that called, again? Ah, that's right. Happiness. Joy. Appreciation. And many other words.

Edited 2018-04-27 15:38 (UTC)

Certain humans, like followers of a certain western religion, are treated with more than their fair share of suspicion by the vampire. They are all potential threats.

"I've only heard a little about why she is... different."

Remilia may be in grief, but the happiness that Satori brings her is overtaking it. "I only wish I could see myself in your thoughts." A soft kiss to the cheek.

She accepts the small kiss, gladly.

"I understand your suspicion. But while Ted would call both of us demons playing at humanity's shape or the like, I enjoy making him question his faith. Or at least giving him another perspective to ruminate on. I've been reading his religious texts, but there's always plenty to criticize. Even the occasional debate has led him to distance himself from me, one way or the other. But, despite this, he keeps dragging himself back to me."

Satori pauses for a minute and returns the kiss to her cheek, perhaps a little uncertainly.

"Are you that curious to know? I could easily describe it." Her third eye nestles nearby Remi's arm as Satori's body relaxes, so close to Remilia. Being like this made her happy, but how could she just...say it? "You're...like me in some ways, but you differ in others. Perhaps it's because you have a sister and understand my troubles. Perhaps because you dress well, think coherently enough for reading not to be a chore...and think little of what others see in you."

"When I see your mind, I see confidence in spades that you wear around you like a cloak or a shield. Your sense of self protects you from everything because you're so sure of yourself that nothing much can touch you. And yet, behind that defense is someone that has suffered much, someone that has experienced all this and used it as an opportunity to stand tall rather than flee. I admire that resolve more than I can begin to say."

The mind-reader then leans back into her shoulder, speaking rather close to her ear... "I could have been the same as you, had I not fled from others and grown bitter. But it's second nature to me. Perhaps it's that which attracts me so much. Or the way you feel such overflowing concern for me without asking much in return. And the way that you trust me with your love, your secrets. It still confuses me how one person can be so trustworthy and caring about someone as unreliable as me."

"...As for my sister." she begins... "What exactly have you heard about her? Koishi isn't exactly dishonest about what happened to her. She's just...difficult to understand, at times."

She looks to be a little upset at remembering what took place, but quickly pushes that feeling aside. "If you're willing to hear me out, I'll explain it. But I wouldn't want to throw something so...unpleasant at you after working so hard to keep you contented."

"Ah? Then I hope to see him abandon this faith." For the first ten years or so of life, she was Catholic, she knows these texts well. What she went through in her first year of vampirism made her lose her faith and become resentful.

"I see I can hide nothing from you, my love." She holds Satori close, accepting her ability to do so without any effort.

"Hm, I've not seen her, or perhaps been able to notice her, for some time. I've not asked her, really, just that I noticed she doesn't have the same amount of those, um, tendrils." She will of course tell her about what happened to Flandre... when she is ready.

She tightens her hold on Remilia as she replies... "Nor will you ever. Though, that isn't a bad thing, after all. So long as I'm in your thoughts."

With a small, sardonic laugh, she recalls Ted... "Ah, right...He took me to one of his churches, once. Perhaps hoping I'd find his God there and miraculously realize the 'truth'. I found his faith - and zealous nature - curious compared to some of the beliefs at home. I've even tried to question his faith, myself. Nothing seems to work. He's fond of my sister and I in his own way, even if he regards us to be mischievous monsters."

Satori takes a moment to prepare herself as she continues, her third eye pulling back a little, her eyes a bit downcast. "If you're willing to listen to it, I may...go on a little bit. I'll try to be brief as I can."

Satori turns her gaze away from Remilia and looks a bit into the middle distance, over her shoulder, and looks back. "I loved my sister with all my heart. And she did, likewise. But, as I've told so many, the world did not love us. We were treated with suspicion and hatred by humans and other youkai who did not share our gift. Driven near to madness with all this hatred about the two of us, Koishi tried to...sever herself from her third eye. Specifically, the artery located...here."

She lifts her hand to tap where her typical hair-clip or the like would be, one that covered up the entry point beneath her hair.

"I hate to ruin your mood, love, but I'd like to make a comparison: Imagine...someone living their lives and hearing nothing but spite and hatred outside the window, thrown bricks and screaming. Koishi took it harder than I did, to some extent. I hid away until my spite became a poison. But what she did was effectively similar to a human going at their own brain with a kitchen knife. And predictably, it has some...unpleasant results."

Satori cringes for a moment, holding back her tears, remembering that unpleasant day. She tries to avoid letting it out. Remilia had been through enough.

"...I found her collapsed one day, after having done grievous harm to herself. Without my prompt intervention, she might have died. And it's a miracle she survived at all - most in her condition are brain-dead or utterly mad. I spent most of those days taking care of her and became even more reclusive than I'd already been. I blamed myself for years, perhaps centuries: She survived, yes, but her mind has always been alien to me, since."

"For a while, I could barely find her. I still can't read her at all and she behaves unconsciously according to whatever whim that strikes her. But I know she still cares about me. She's just 'different' now. She asked me to keep myself happy, for her sake, and I try. And all she does...even if it's odd and nonsensical is for my sake, as well."

Satori nods as she looks into Remi's eyes again with a small and quite uncertain expression. "...Everything I've done is for her. Koishi - she's a very sweet girl, and losing her would be the end of me. You...understand that feeling, don't you. As an elder sister, such overflowing love for the younger one comes naturally."

If Ted proved a threat to anyone she cares about, Remilia wouldn't hesitate to kill him and damn the consequences.

Remilia is quiet, and listens. She listens to everything, and there is... rage. It was the kind of rage she once directed at the whole of humanity, but now more or less directed at those responsible rather than being genocidal. But there is understanding, the guilt of being too late to save her own sister from harm, of being forced to make Flandre stay in a basement room. Not the now pernamently sealed off cellar they once escaped from, of course. Never that cellar.

When Satori is finished, she hugs her tightly. "I do..."

The hug was quite warm and cuddly. Perhaps a little tighter than Remilia was used to. And with someone pressing in from the other si-

Oh. Koishi. Out of nowhere. How long had she been following unnoticed? Regardless, she was noticed now. And she had joined in the hug, squishing both Remilia and Satori together with her unique brand of cuddles. She was also holding rather than wearing her hat at the moment which probably was for the best. Its brim would have been shoved in both Remilia and Satori's faces.

"You both started crumbling with dust and tan and jagged edges. All the way down to grey. Hugs fix that, right?" She was leaning forward, green eyes peering up at both of them.

Edited 2018-04-28 23:50 (UTC)

Satori held onto the feeling of similarity towards Remilia, not merely for her protection of her sister but the drastic measures undertaken to assist her. She felt the tears welling up and her stoic facade break--

Until Koishi reveals she'd been hidden amidst them the entire time...?! Or...perhaps just now. It's hard to tell, with her little sister. Her troublesome, confusing but always well-meaning younger sister...

"...K-Koishi!? H...How long were you there?!" Her uncertain feelings give way to instant embarrassment and confusion. "We...were having a moment to ourselves, Koishi. I know you wanted to cheer us up, but..." She eventually trails off, unable to find words...

And eventually, she starts laughing...

"Hmph...Koishi...y-you're incorrigable..."

Edited 2018-04-29 01:06 (UTC)

And Remilia's mind is suddenly a whole load of !?!? at Koishi's sudden appearance. Who could even tell where Koishi is at any moment she doesn't wish to be noticed...

So, um... It's hugging time, she guesses.

"Koishi... How long have you been here?"

Koishi just squeezed them both tighter for a moment before letting go and drifting back, putting her hat back on and covering her scar. She was all smiles now.

"I dunno. I just followed you Sis. Because you don't usually leave. So I wondered to where? And I brought snacks!" She held up a duffel bag. Presumably it was filled with edibles... And it was confirmed a moment later when Koishi opened it and a variety of things were shown. from a plastic bag with raw meat to some fruits and vegetables from the yard to the odd loaf of bread used for picnics.

Seeing as the food was from the palace it was therefore likely Koishi had been following from the beginning. Dammit.

"Snacks are good at cheering up. So are hugs and smiles." She drifted closer, her third eye nudging Satori's before moving over to Remilia's shoulder. "Right?"

Satori grumbles a little. Both at the food brought all the way here and the way Koishi had been following her around - presumably since she left. She just shakes her head, a faint chuckle still on her lips...

"...You're very thoughtful, Koishi. But what you're not saying outright is that you were worried about me when I'd come to visit Remilia, isn't it?"

Her third eye nudges right back, affectionately, before settling into the crook of the vampire's arm for a while. After a while, the excitement and confusion wears off, leaving Satori to explain...

"...You can consider this an object lesson on how she gets into everything. Don't question it, Remi. Except - and expect - that she'll start doing this to us. You'll...get used to it, eventually."

Remilia blushed a little. Well. At least Flandre doesn't do stuff like this... even if she likes to wander and worry her big sister.

"Yes, um... Is that raw meat?" Remilia too, is now settling down after the sudden Koishi appearance.

"I hope she doesn't do it if we ever, um, kiss...."

She will absolutely do it if there were kisses involved. Especially if Murphy's law was anything to go by.

"Yeah! It's delicious. Sis caught a deer two days ago and I brought the flank! We were saving it for the family picnic we have." She was rummaging in the duffel bag, pulling out the plastic wrapped chunk of raw goodness. Well, good for carnivorous youkai. Either way it was being held up in front of Remi now.

"Do you want some? There's plenty for everyone! And Sis likes you a lot. So that makes you like family too, right?" She looked to Satori for confirmation.

Edited 2018-04-29 03:19 (UTC)

"I doubt she'd miss the opportunity to gawk at us, Remi. Like I said, it's a risk you'd have to take, with me."

She quickly moves to intercept the duffel bag and move it away from the bed a little. More importantly, she takes the rest of the meat out of the bag and sets it and the rest the foodstuffs on a nearby table in order that Koishi doesn't literally set up a picnic on Remi's lovely bedspread.

How to answer this without making it sound weird. Oh gods."...Yes, Yes and Yes."

"...Family? In a sense. Perhaps a bit more than that. I suppose you're both the most important people in my life, at the moment, aren't you?" She looks to Koishi and then to Remilia for a moment, almost as if asking for confirmation all her own.

Satori couldn't refuse not now. "And yes, it's mostly raw. I read that the nobility of the West were fond of venison. It's relatively fresh, too. You should at least try a little. The confusion should pass by the time you start eating."

A pause and a faint incline of the head... "Itadakimasu." Quietly, Satori accepted a piece and chewed on it thoughtfully. Her reply was deadpan, though with a faint hint of appreciation.

It was clear she was trying to make the embarrassed confusion pass quicker.

"...It's still got a lovely texture, even after being lightly preserved. I think it might taste a little better if it's smoked for the picnic..."

Edited 2018-04-29 07:31 (UTC)

Remilia wasn't about to argue with that assessment. "Why, I do love you after all..."

She just didn't think on the bed was a place to eat anything to begin with. So goo job catching that Satori. Now then, she'll join the other two at the table after a moment.

Edited 2018-04-29 17:20 (UTC)

Koishi dashed over to the table, sitting down next to Remi and across from Satori. She was practically bouncing in her seat as she took a plum from the bag and took a bite.

"Sis?" She swallowed. "Why do you say 'itadakimasu' every time? Even when we're alone? And Miss Bats isn't from Japan." She tilted her head. "It's a Buddhist thing, right? It seems silly since the monks were so good at driving you away a long long time ago."

Of course Koishi chooses now to bring up something so embarrassing.

Satori took a good moment or two to look - no, stare - at Koishi at her response. it dawned on her that she didn't entirely know why. She has a moment of confusion clear on her face until she regains her composure within seconds, readying herself to finish her bite before she speaks...

"It's a force of habit, Koishi. After hearing so many humans give thanks for their daily meals and good company, and hearing that gratitude reflected, I find it's an odd habit of mine." Se gave her best guess as to why. Koishi tended to needle at obvious things that bothered her, after all. "And, in any case, it's odd of you to criticize use of a Buddhist tradition when you were hanging around Myouren Temple for who-knows-how long. Then again..." she reminisces with a small inward smile. "...I sang hymns for Ted in a church one day because he wanted to hear my singing voice so badly. That hardly makes me a Christian, does it?"

Then she turns her attention over to Remi with a weary little smile, as if to say... 'get used to it, this is how it starts.'

"I'm sure you've some odd habits of your own, Remi, despite your contempt of humanity. Perhaps you ought to share one of your own? None of us will really judge."

Except Koishi. Damned troublesome sister, ruining her cool like that.

Remilia giggled at the two in spite of herself.

"Is that like saying grace? I've not bothered since my mortal days... So, will you sing for me?"

Koishi didn't mean any harm, she supposes...

"I do enjoy food... despite gaining nothing useful from eating it." She also slips up and acts childishly, but is too embarrassed to admit it.

"Well yeah! A bad habit!" She laughed. "You were always really good at picking up little behaviors of humans. It's interesting." Apparently teasing Satori was Koishi's favorite pass-time. Though one could hardly blame her considering how entertaining it was to see the normally stoic youkai flustered.

Fortunately the teasing didn't last very long, Koishi instead choosing to pick up a chunk of raw meat and take a large bite, her teeth shearing through it with ease.

"Sis is good at singing. She has a pretty voice. She would sometimes sing for warriors in the mountains and I would keep beat and hum along. When I told stories I would do it really differently."

"...Koishi, you--" And Koishi's already done enough damage to warrant Satori getting a little flusterered or bothered, what have you. While she DID have a great singing voice, so said the few that heard it, she'd only really do so for those who warranted it.

But she wasn't sure who'd needle her more about it if she tried to do so infront of Koishi and Remi alike.

"She's right, though..." She didn't specify which one Koishi meant, so it's safe to assume they're both correct. "I don't know what I would sing for either of you. But...we do tell stories rather differently. And if you've read any of my writing, you'd know that I have a fondness for tragedy and irony."

Satori shook her head, taking just as big a bite of meat and chewing it down in much smaller and precise bites, her teeth finding and sinking into the flesh just as easily. Carnivores though they were, Satori's habits weren't just customary. She wanted to explain how and why this all made sense but couldn't really do so.

"I suppose my gloomy outlook on life for such a long time has coloured my perception a little. But you might call me Melancholic if I say too much, so I won't bother...But I might sing, if either of you can find me a tune."

Remilia giggles a little, then decides she really wanted to hear Satori sing one day. The vampire took a bite of the meat herself, thinking to herself that venison tartare is usually chopped up and not served on its own. Remi's sharp fangs and teeth made short work of it.

"I would love to hear you sing, ma belle... I had no idea you told stories." It's like she learns something new regularly about Satori.

Edited 2018-05-13 15:09 (UTC)

[Action] Grief [Closed to Castlevania and Satori] cw:mild blood

oh look, a new icon

CUTE AS HECK

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FEELPOST DEPLOYED

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Sorry for slowness...

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